'SimCity': Maxis "Exploring the Possibility" Of Offline Mode

In a blog post entitled "State of SimCity," Patrick Buechner, the General Manager of "SimCity" developer Maxis' Emeryville studio, offered his thoughts on '"SimCity" so far while also talking about the game's future.

There's one detail that Buechner mentioned which caught our eye.

"Some player requests, such as a tool to raise and lower roads, were straightforward challenges. Some of the larger asks, such as bigger city maps and an offline mode, have required more thought and exploratory work."

Before you jump for joy, there's more. Buechner expands on the possibility of an offline option for "SimCity" later on in his blog post.

"Exploration for Offline Mode is Happening

Right now we have a team specifically focused on exploring the possibility of an offline mode. I can’t make any promises on when we will have more information, but we know this is something that many of our players have been asking for. While the server connectivity issues are behind us, we would like to give our players the ability to play even if they choose not to connect. An offline mode would have the additional benefit of providing room to the modding community to experiment without interfering or breaking the multiplayer experience."

With this in mind, it's safe to say that a "SimCity" offline mode is promising. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that such an update would come soon. Considering the game's problematic launch, cautious optimism is probably the best way to go. However, Maxis does deserve some credit for at least listening to the pleas of their customers. Considering the size and scope of "SimCity," the update itself could be massive, which may mean that it could take a considerable amount of time for Maxis to create an offline mode for the game. At least they're thinking about it.

What do you think? Do you want to see "SimCity" get an offline mode? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments below.